Sector/Thematic Studies

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http://hdl.handle.net/10986/2110

Economic and Sectoral Work are original analytic reports authored by the World Bank and intended to influence programs and policy in client countries. They convey Bank-endorsed recommendations and represent the formal opinion of a World Bank unit on the topic. This set includes the sectoral and thematic studies which are not Core Diagnostic Studies. Other analytic and advisory activities (AAA), including technical assistance studies, are included in these sectoral/thematic collections.

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Togo Jobs Diagnostic: Confronting Challenges and Creating Opportunities for More Good Quality Jobs for All

(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-08-04) Karlen, Raphaela ; Rother, Friederike ; editors

Togo, a small country with a young and growing population, must look to the development of more and better jobs to recover from recent shocks, accelerate poverty reduction and enhance social cohesion. While Togo’s employment rate is high, many are working low productive jobs with meager earnings and no access to social protection. Demographic pressures imply that Togo’s economy will need to absorb an additional one million labor market entrants between now and 2030. To create more, and better jobs, especially for young workers, substantive reforms are required to accelerate a structural transformation towards higher productivity activities. Besides improving the competitiveness of and access to finance for the private sector, improving conditions in the agricultural sector needs to be at the core of these reforms, as that sector will remain the main source of jobs and livelihoods for Togolese in the foreseeable future.
Gender-Based Violence Country Profile: Guatemala

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2023-06-01) World Bank

With a population of approximately 18.2 million people, Guatemala is the most populous country in Central America. Guatemala has one of the highest rates of femicide in the world, with violent deaths of women increasing from 1.3 per 100,000 women in 2020 to 1.6 per 100,000 women in 2021, resulting in 527 femicides reported in 2021 and 534 in 2022, and 69 femicides reported by March 2023. High-risk groups facing multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination include young and adolescent girls, indigenous women, those who have experienced adolescent pregnancies, early unions or marriages, women and girls living with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ groups. In order to address violence and discrimination against women and girls in Guatemala, various initiatives and policies have been implemented by the government and civil society organizations. However, much work remains to be done to effectively address the root causes of these issues and ensure the safety and wellbeing of all women and girls in the country.
Gender-Based Violence Country Profile: Honduras

(Washington, DC, 2023-06-01) World Bank

Honduras has a small and informal economy that is predominantly agricultural, but its strategic location, solid industrial base, ample resources, and young population indicate potential for inclusive and resilient economic growth. Despite the growth, Honduras remains one of the poorest and most unequal countries in the region. Honduras has one of the highest rates of violent deaths of women in the world, by 2021, there were reported 318 violent deaths of women. Honduras is both a source and transit country for human trafficking, with women being the most affected by it. The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the situation, resulting in an increase in reported cases of domestic and intrafamily violence.
Gender-Based Violence Country Profile: Guyana

(Washington, DC, 2023-06-01) World Bank

Guyana faces several challenges, including poverty and high levels of inequality, ranking 114 out of 170 countries in the gender inequality index. Guyana faces significant challenges in addressing gender-based violence (GBV) and supporting women’s economic empowerment. The pandemic has only intensified these challenges, with women facing greater financial stress and caregiving burdens. The situation is further exacerbated by the influx of refugees and migrants, particularly from Venezuela, who are increasingly vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation and need proper assistance.
VAWG Prevention and Response Opportunities in FY21 Pipeline IPF Projects in Central America: Portfolio Review

(Washington, DC, 2023-06) World Bank

The Advisory Services and Analytics (ASA) Mitigating Gender-Based Violence Risks and Expanding the gender-based violence (GBV) portfolio in Central America carried out in FY21 aimed to develop and apply a methodology to screen World Bank (WB) projects across sectors to identify entry points for preventing and/or responding to GBV beyond actions to mitigate sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) and sexual harassment (SH). The ASA comprises several documents that are intended primarily for WB task teams, who can help their clients adopt GBV prevention and response measures in projects across sectors. This document uses a tool for integrating violence against women and girls (VAWG) actions in WB operations to identify a selected group of operations to address VAWG prevention and response actions that align to the scope of the operation.
Designing and Delivering Government-Led Graduation Programs for People in Extreme Poverty

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2023-02-17) Gollin, Maxwell ; Miranda, Carolina de ; Muriuki, Taddeo ; Commins, Steve

While governments face significant obstacles in designing and delivering approaches for people living in extreme poverty, a substantial body of research shows that programs can achieve transformative impact by addressing the socioeconomic barriers that often exclude this population. An increasing number of governments are adopting and scaling economic inclusion programs, including Graduation programs, to address the multidimensional vulnerabilities of people living in extreme poverty. By integrating the Graduation approach into their poverty reduction initiatives, governments can increase the impact and scale of their initiatives by investing in the systems, processes, and capacities needed to reach those furthest behind and deliver multidimensional, timebound, and sequenced program interventions. This In Practice paper shares insights and learning from four non-governmental organizations on the potential to scale up government-led Graduation programs for people living in extreme poverty. It contributes to the growing policy space around economic inclusion and identifies good practices for designing and implementing government-led Graduation programs. It makes recommendations and identifies key considerations for governments on how to identify, reach, and deliver impactful programming to individuals and households facing socioeconomic exclusion and marginalization.
The Long Shadow of Informality: Challenges and Policies

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022-03-08) Ohnsorge, Franziska ; Yu, Shu ; Ohnsorge, Franziska ; Yu, Shu ; Capasso, Salvatore ; Elgin, Ceyhun ; Kasyanenko, Sergiy ; Kindberg-Hanlon, Gene ; Koh, Wee Chian ; Kose, M. Ayhan ; Okawa, Yoki ; Okou, Cedric ; Taskin, Temel ; Vashakmadze, Ekaterine T. ; Vorisek, Dana ; Ye, Sandy Lei

A large percentage of workers and firms operate in the informal economy, outside the line of sight of governments in emerging markets and developing economies. Widespread informality may hold back the recovery in these economies from the deep recessions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic—unless governments adopt a broad set of policies to address the challenges of widespread informality. This study is the first comprehensive analysis of the extent of informality and its implications for a durable economic recovery and for long-term development. It finds that pervasive informality is associated with significantly weaker economic outcomes—including lower government resources to combat recessions, lower per capita incomes, greater poverty, less financial development, and weaker investment and productivity.
Managing Environmental and Social Risks in Resilient Housing Projects

(Washington, DC, 2022-03) World Bank

Resilient Housing (RH) initiatives are a crucial means of improving access to safe and sanitary housing in urban areas of high vulnerability. These projects make residents safer, healthier, and more secure, and increase the economic inclusion of the world’s poorest populations. They upgrade homes, improve neighborhoods, and change lives. Like all investment projects, RH initiatives carry with them some risks and may impact the lives of community members in the project area. The note briefly introduces RH initiatives, describes their unique approach to project design, and touches on the possible risks occasioned by RH projects. It then explores the many ways in which RH initiatives closely align with the objectives and technical requirements embedded in the World Bank’s Environmental and Social Framework (ESF), which went into effect on October 1, 2018. The ESF lays out a comprehensive approach to identifying and managing environmental and social risks and minimizing potential impacts. The goals and requirements of RH initiatives and the ESF complement one another, and this note will describe how this mutually supportive relationship creates desirable outcomes that achieve the objectives of both, despite occasional trade-offs. Using recent operational experience as a guide to best practices, the note’s final section provides recommendations for Task Team Leaders responsible for managing RH projects on how to apply the ESF to their projects to minimize risk and maximize project impact.
Breaking Barriers: Female Entrepreneurs Who Cross Over to Male-Dominated Sectors

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022-02-03) World Bank

The report focuses on sectoral choice as one of the contributors to the gender gap in firm performance. It explores the difference in profits among female entrepreneurs who cross over into male-dominated sectors (MDS) compared to those who remain in traditionally female-concentrated sectors (FCS). The report provides a snapshot of the factors associated with being a female entrepreneur who crosses over to MDS, including the most salient cross-country ones that are associated with breaking into and surviving in these sectors. Based on this analysis, it offers evidence-based programs and policies which can support women to cross over into more profitable sectors and contribute to their business performance more generally. The studies in this report were conducted across three regions and in ten countries (Sub-Saharan Africa: Botswana, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Guinea, in Latin America and the Caribbean: Peru and Mexico, and in East Asia and Pacific: Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic (PDR), Vietnam, and Indonesia). The report also draws from the findings of the global multi-country future of business survey of entrepreneurs carried out through a social media platform.
The RISE Framework

(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2022-01-17) Balseca, Esteban ; Cuesta, Jose Antonio ; Damania, Richard ; Feng, Shenghui ; Moon, Jisung ; Rentschler, Jun ; Russ, Jason ; Triyana, Margaret ; Balseca, Esteban

The world has witnessed unparalleled economic progress in the last three decades. But success is not preordained, and several headwinds threaten this hard fought progress. Inequality is leaving many people and subgroups behind and excluding them from enjoying the benefits of this great economic expansion. More recently, the world has awakened to the reality of a new type of risk. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) struck at a time when the world was healthier and wealthier than ever before. There is little disagreement over the need to enable a recovery that is fairer, safer, and more sustainable. This report describes how these ambitious objectives can be achieved by providing evidence based tools and information to guide countries to spend better and improve policies. It is in this context that this document presents policy guidance to identify and diagnose key development challenges and develop solutions to help countries build better.